His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Ramadan 26, 1445 /March 5, 2024. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is a summary of the sermons.

The First Sermon

Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book:

“Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], a clear conquest . That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path.”

 

What distinguishes the blessed month of Ramadan, among its many virtues that Allah has bestowed upon us in this month, is that it is a month in which many victories are achieved, as happened to the Muslims under the leadership of the Messenger of Allah (p.) in their confrontation with the polytheists, represented at that time by Quraish . One of the most significant achievements was the Conquest of Mecca, which Allah, the Most Exalted, expressed as a clear conquest.

 

On the twentieth day of the blessed month of Ramadan, in the eighth year of Hijrah, the Messenger of Allah (p.) entered Mecca with the Muslims as conquerors, after eight years of their departure from it… This conquest, promised by Allah to His Messenger when he left Mecca as an emigrant to Medina, was fulfilled. When the Prophet reached Juhfa, on his way from Mecca to Medina, he felt longing and yearning for the sanctified Mecca. He then turned towards Mecca, saying: “By Allah, you are the most beloved land to me, and if your people had not expelled me, I would not have left.” Then,  the noble verse was revealed to him, informing him that he would return to it: “Indeed, the one who imposed upon you the Qur’an will take you back to a place of return.”

 

This promise from Allah, was reiterated after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah when the noble verses were revealed to the Messenger of Allah informing him that victory was coming and emphasizing its importance: “When the victory of Allah and the conquest comes. And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes. Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.”

 

The Conquest of Mecca was not an ordinary event in the history of Muslims; rather, it marked a turning point in the struggle against polytheism. This conquest diminished the power of Quraish and shattered their authority in the Arabian Peninsula, opening wide the door for people to enter Islam. Many in the Arabian Peninsula had hesitated to embrace Islam and affiliate with it despite their conviction due to fear of Quraish, who held economic, political, and moral dominance… This conquest restored Mecca to be as Allah intended it, a center for monotheism…

 

This conquest came after a long struggle that lasted for twenty years and the hardships endured by the Messenger of Allah and the Muslims with him. This struggle intensified when Quraish violated the treaty between them and the Messenger of Allah at Hudaybiyyah, which stipulated that Quraish would not aggress against the tribes allied with the Messenger of Allah .However, they attacked the Banu Khuza’ah tribe, who had entered into an alliance with the Messenger of Allah, the Most Exalted,, killing some of them and plundering their property and lands. On that day, the Prophet (p.) called upon Quraish to rectify their actions towards Banu Khuza’ah and compensate them by paying blood money. But Quraish, relying on their strength, refused and insisted on their aggression. This led the Messenger of Allah to instruct his companions to prepare for the conquest of Mecca and to end the authority of Quraish over it, as it became clear that there was neither security nor peace in the Arabian Peninsula as long as Quraish possessed power and dominance there. However, the Messenger of Allah, knowing the sanctity of Mecca and the Sacred House therein, and being keen to preserve lives, did not want a drop of blood to be shed. Therefore, he took several measures to ensure the achievement of this goal:

 

The first measure was complete secrecy in preparing for this conquest. He ensured that no news of his movement reached Quraish, although Quraish’s eyes and spies were monitoring news from Mecca and what was happening there. When he learned that one of his companions, Hatib ibn Abi Balta’ah, sent a letter to Quraish revealing that the Prophet would march towards Mecca, so that Hatib’s family, who were still in Mecca, would not be harmed, the Prophet sent Ali, Zubayr, and Miqdad to intercept the letter. They found the woman delivering the letter between Mecca and Medina and brought her back to Medina…

 

This measure contributed to the Messenger of Allah reaching the outskirts of Mecca without Quraish being aware of his arrival, which surprised them…

 

The second measure: On the night of the conquest, when the Muslims reached the outskirts of Mecca, the Messenger of Allah instructed his army to light a fire at each of their locations to demonstrate the vastness of this army and its numbers… Quraish were surprised by this sea of lights surrounding them, which made them feel the enormity and strength of this army and weakened their morale.

 

The third measure: The Messenger of Allah asked his uncle, al- Abbas to inform Quraish of the siege of Mecca and to show them the multitude of Muslims and that there was no escape for them except to surrender to the inevitable and allow entry into Mecca. At the same time, he asked him to lure Abu Sufyan to see for himself the strength of the Muslims, their numbers, and the organization they had. Indeed, when Abu Sufyan saw the size of the Muslim army, he said to al- Abbas: “The kingdom of your nephew has become great.” To which al-Abbas replied: “Woe to you, O Abu Sufyan, it is not a kingdom, it is prophethood.”

 

The final measure: Neutralizing Quraish from fighting when he granted them safety and said: “Whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyan is safe, whoever enters the mosque is safe, whoever closes his door is safe, and whoever does not bear arms is safe.” These measures succeeded in depriving Quraish of any desire to fight, and it reached the point where Abu Sufyan, the leader of Quraish, called out: “O people of Quraish, Muhammad has come to you with something you have never had before. Whoever enters my house is safe, whoever enters the mosque is safe, whoever closes his door is safe.”

 

Thus, Quraish surrendered and abandoned their arrogance, and Mecca opened its arms to receive Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, under the banners of victory and the cries of Takbir and Tahleel.

 

But after this victory, how did the Messenger of Allah enter Mecca? Did he enter Mecca like a victorious conqueror, triumphant over his enemies and those who had incited enmity against him?

 

He entered Mecca with humility, bowing his head on his horse, so much so that his chin almost touched the saddle, humbly praising Allah and remembering Him, while reciting Surah Al-Fath: “Indeed, We have granted you a clear conquest . That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow.”

 

Despite all the harm he suffered from Quraish, the Messenger of Allah was eager to show mercy to them and remove enmity from their hearts. When he heard Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, who was carrying the banner at that time, shouting: “Today is a day of slaughter, today the sacred is violated,” he immediately sent Ali (a.s.) to take the banner from him and proclaim: “Today is a day of mercy, today the sacred is preserved.”

 

This was evident when the leaders of Quraish, along with their men and women, came to him, awaiting his decision regarding them, despite all the wrongs they had committed against him …

 

On that day, the Messenger of Allah stood to say to them: “O people of Quraish, what do you think I will do to you?” They said: “Good, a generous brother and a generous nephew.” He said: “Go, for you are free.” And he ordered his army not to shed the blood of anyone, regardless of their history. This set the most magnificent example of forgiveness, pardon, and tolerance. So, the day of conquest was a day of honor, victory, and triumph, and at the same time, a day of mercy and humility.

 

The Messenger of Allah (p.) intended by this to prove through actions the reality of what he brought and called to, and that his leadership was not a leadership of the sword or a leadership of revenge and settling scores, but a leadership of a message that seeks, from a position of strength, to open people’s hearts to its religion and message and to turn enemies into friends with a message that is a mercy to the worlds.

 

And when they achieve this, they embody what is mentioned in the Quran: “Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish prayer and give zakah and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And to Allah belongs the outcome of [all] matters.”

 

Our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

The second sermon

Worshippers of Allah, I advise you and advise myself By the fear of Allah, this is the piety that Allah has made the goal of fasting, and the measure by which the fasting person assesses himself to know the extent of the impact of fasting on him and his benefit from it, when He said: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.”

 

Piety, Dear loved ones, is not to lose sight of you where Allah has commanded you, and not to be found where He has prohibited you, by not advancing one foot or delaying another, not uttering a word or taking a stance, until you know that in it there is the satisfaction of Allah.

 

So fasting in the sight of Allah is not for those who are still controlled by their desires, impulses, selfishness, and interests, roaming wherever they go or not moving in the service of those who need them.

 

Let us take the initiative, in the remaining days, to help us achieve this value within ourselves, and let us ask Allah, to keep us steadfast, and if we have not achieved it, to help us attain it so that we can emerge from this month having acquired a value that brings us closer to Allah and to people, and enables us to face challenges…

 

Starting with Gaza, which has entered its seventh month without any signs on the horizon of a solution to end the tragedy of its people, as the Zionist entity did not show any desire to comply with the United Nations decision calling for a ceasefire or to engage in negotiations that would lead to it. Instead, we witness the enemy’s persistence in its massacres, which the world witnessed after its withdrawal from Al-Shifa Hospital, and the killing and destruction it left behind, making the largest hospitals in Gaza unable to continue their role in this stage and even after it, or in the deliberate targeting of relief workers who came from Europe, Canada, Australia, and America to alleviate the famine for the people of Gaza and alleviate the impact of the siege on them, in order to close any door to help the Palestinians, and to deter those who want to carry out this humanitarian work …

 

It has become clear that the green light given to the enemy in its war is still ongoing to complete its crimes in starving this people to achieve the goals of this entity, which will not end with the release of its captives, but aims to eliminate the Palestinian presence in Gaza, as evidenced by the continuation of this entity in ending any signs of life there.

 

It will accompany this stage by silencing any voice that reveals its crimes and violations, which recently manifested itself in the decision taken by the Zionist Knesset allowing it to close any media institution, and in the ongoing deliberate targeting of journalists present in Gaza, with the number of journalists martyred by them until now exceeding one hundred and fifty who were targeted by the enemy’s aircraft and drones while they were in their homes or workplaces.

 

Despite all this, the Palestinian people remain patient and steadfast, insisting on remaining in their land despite the policy of siege, starvation, and destruction, and confronting this entity with all courage.

 

Here, we renew our call to the necessity of supporting this people with all means to make them capable of continuing their resilience and steadfastness in their land and in confronting this enemy…

 

While we salute all those who stand with the Palestinian people and their cause, and who have begun to sacrifice and make great sacrifices in this path, the latest of which was the targeting of the Iranian Islamic Republic Consulate in Syria in a serious violation of all diplomatic norms, thus seeking to stop this continuous support for the Palestinian people, and this crime will push the Islamic Republic to move forward in this option, despite the numerous sacrifices.

 

And we reach Lebanon, where the Zionist enemy does not stop its continuous targeting of its villages and cities, while continuing its threats to Lebanon by declaring its transition from the stage of defense to attack, or through the training exercises it conducts to attack Lebanese villages and cities, or by the announcement of its war minister approving operations to trespass Lebanese territory. The Resistance continues its heroic confrontation of this entity on the basis of eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, despite the capabilities possessed by this enemy.

 

We are faced with what is happening, and we call once again for more caution to confront the adventures of this enemy, and for the country to be in a state of emergency after it became clear that its threats will not stop at these borders.

 

At the same time, we call for strengthening the internal situation to enhance internal national immunity, and to refrain from anything that threatens this unity, and to accelerate the filling of vacancies at the presidential, governmental, or other levels so that this country can overcome the difficulties of this stage and its challenges.

 

Here, we call upon all those who speak about the necessity of completing the presidential and other entitlements to remove the obstacles to this entitlement instead of targeting this team or that or this position or that, and that their efforts be focused on a formula of consensus, which remains the safest way to address the country’s crises…

 

And we return to Palestine, to Jerusalem, where we meet today; the last Friday of Ramadan, the day that Imam Khomeini (ra) declared as a global day for Jerusalem, intending thereby that Muslims do not forget Jerusalem, and that it remains present in their minds and hearts, and that they take it into account when planning for the future, so that it does not remain captive to those who tamper with its history, sanctities, and identity.

 

In this context, we have no choice but to respond to this call, and we see it as our duty because we are concerned with standing with every just cause, and what cause is more just than the cause of Palestine?! We cannot remain silent about the occupation of a country, the oppression of a people, or the violation of sanctities… And because Jerusalem is linked to our history and the convergence of heavenly messages…